During the image forming process, inefficiencies from the photoconductive member to the media create waste toner. The waste toner should be removed from the photoconductive member to prevent print quality problems. Previous devices have stored the waste toner in an area adjacent to the photoconductive member. Other designs require that the waste toner be moved away from the photoconductive member to a remote area within the device.
The waste removal elements should be constructed to be as small as possible. The overall size of the image forming device may result from the size of the waste removal elements. Larger waste removal elements may require other elements within the device to have increased sizes, such as the imaging unit, media path, and covers. It has further been determined that the overall size of the image forming device is a major purchasing factor for consumers. Smaller devices are preferred because they are easier to handle, and do not require as much space within workspaces. Additionally, the increase in size of these elements may greatly increase the overall cost of the device, as it has been determined that the cost increases as a function of size in more of an exponential rather than linear fashion.
The waste removal elements should also efficiently move the waste toner from the photoconductive members to an area of the machine where it can be stored for removal. This movement may require the waste toner to be moved through different areas of the machine. The movement is made more difficult because the waste toner may move through sections of the machine that are removable from the image forming device. The waste removal elements should be designed to account for sections of the waste toner path being removed, and still prevent toner leakage.